City Hunter The First Episode

The City Hunter (Original) :

City Hunter (シティーハンター Shitī Hantā^?) is a hardboiled manga series written and illustrated by Tsukasa Hojo, published by Shueisha in the Weekly Shōnen Jump from 1985 to 1991. The manga was adapted into an animated television series by Sunrise Studios in 1987. The City Hunter franchise spans four animated television series, three television specials, two original video animations, an animated feature film and a live-action Hong Kong film starring Jackie Chan. In 2001, Tsukasa Hojo started the Angel Heart, a City Hunter spin-off. (Wikipedia)

The plot is about a private detective who saves the city from corruption and injustice. The story has been rewritten to suit Korean culture. It may be all spy game story like Iris and Athena. But I expect to see more human drama than just cold-blooded spy games. And the original story had phenomenal success because of human drama. It's like Star Wars in manga world, an old classic. Let's explore what it has in store together. I haven't read the manga either, but I will read it if I like the drama enough.

Episode 1 Recap

 The drama starts at a dark operating room. A woman is giving birth, but her child is losing heart beat rate and may require surgery. The doctor needs the guardian's consent, but she says he's not here at the moment. The father of the child is at Berma. On the dreaded day of October 9th, 1983. It was the date of Aung San terrorism. 

The father seems to be the security agent (bodyguard) of president. He enters the Aung San for a diplomatic meeting. A bomb is ticking in the building, and it blows off before president enters the building. 

At the same time, the woman gives birth. It's a boy.

In the mist of dust, two agents search the building for survivors. They can't find any. The mother that just gave birth hears the news, and she worries about her husband. The attack was done by North Korea. Council of Cabinet are talking about it. They are all furious and they all agree on attacking back. The operation will be done even without the president knowing. Only 5 people will know about the Op. The mission is to kill 5 North Korean Officers. 

The boy's father is the man on the right. The man on the left (Kim Sang Joong) tells him that he has a family now, and should not take the mission. He insists that he goes. The two man seem to be great friends. The boy's father, however, tells his wife that he has to go. He tells her that they will name the child when he comes back. 

"It's not a dangerous place is it?" says the wife. It's always a bad omen when someone says that. 

The two men quickly gathers crew for the job. They pick up retired special force agents. Their superior officer tells them that he is proud of his veterans. He promises that they will all safely return home. He says he will keep his word with his life. 

The special force all dress up in North Korean uniforms. The Op is to leave and get into Pyoung Yang for the job. Their escape is with a submarine that will rendezvous at a small harbor right next to Pyoung Yang.

The proud Korean special force get into Pyoung Yang easily. They slice down all of the targets mercilessly. However, a problem rises.

Back in the commanding room, the powerful Cabinet gather. They say the president has announced that there will be no violent attacks from South Korea.

"What about our men?" says the man who gave the word for their safe return home. The men will be out there at the rendezvous point. However, the U.S. has made it clear that they will clear out of the Korean peninsula if they make any military moves against North Korea. The president also does not think taht military action is needed at this point. 

Their commanding officer says that they have the obligation for the safe return of their soldiers. The Cabinet does not like this idea, because it will be them who will get into trouble if the truth goes out. They want to save their own necks. What a betrayal. They choose to abandon their men. 

Meanwhile the special force are swimming out to the sea for their rendezvous. They find the submarine try to get on it. However, a man on the submarines starts sniping down the soldiers. One by one, the soldiers are killed in the ocean. As the sniper aims for Jin Pyo (Kim Sang Joong) the boy's father covers his friend, and takes the shot for him. The boy's father asks his friend to take care of his son for him. He then passes away in the sea. I don't see how killing their men will cover the mission, because the North Korean officers are still killed. 

Jin Pyo is the only one left alive from the mission. Although this mission is not true, a similar thing happened in real life. You should watch the movie, Sil Mi Do, to see how the country betrayed their men (true story).

The man who gave them the word for safe return, Eung-Chan Choi, gets the news that all of the soldiers lost their lives. The other member of the Cabinet tells him that it will remain a secret as long as the 5 men in the room remain their mouth shut. They all leave Eung Chan alone. In the darkness, a hand with a knife swoops up and seizes Eung Chan. It's Jin Pyo. He has made it back. He asks that he will take the life his C.O. has promised. 

Eung Chan apologizes. He says that he had to abandon 20 lives to keep the promise with the U.S. who is the greatest ally South Korea has. Jin Pyo says that he is lying. He says that he abandoned his men to save the current regime. At the time, the Korean president was Cheon Doo Hwan. He was a man who came into his office through a Coup d'etat, a military action to overthrow the current regime. It will be too sensitive if the word gets out that he ordered 21 men to kill North Korean officers. 

"We're ready to give up our lives for our country. But not for our regime." says Jin Pyo. (Kim Sang Joong) Kim Sang Joong is like the coolest and best looking mid-aged man in Korea I think. 

Jin Pyo raises his hand to kill Eung Chan, but someone knocks on the door. Eung Chan answers the door, and when he looks back Jin Pyo is gone. He left a note that says:

I will get back the price of 20 lives that the country has betrayed.

Jin Pyo watches over his friend's wife and their son. He kidnaps the the son and leaves a note:

Woo Yeol is dead. I will take the child and raise him well. You will live much better without him. Start fresh.

You must live happy.

By the tone of the note, we can tell that Jin Pyo was close to his friend's wife. He was possibly in love with her.

Jin Pyo takes the child to china in a ship. He tells his dead friend that he will raise his son and names him Yoon Sung. He will do the worst revenge possible.

10 years later, at the Golden Triangle in South East Asia. Jin Pyo and Yoon Sung live in opium farm. Jin Pyo has become a cartel that has military power. He kills his subordinate who has sold drugs to Korea. 10 years old Yoon sung is trained hard for marshall arts and military training. Jin Pyo is viscious on his adopted son. 

Yoon Sung looks through Jin Pyo's stuff and finds the picture of his mother. He asks if he could at least see the picture. Jin Pyo tells him to forget about his mother and rips the photo into pieces. 

Yoon Sung grows into a full man. Their opium camp is in en emergency as a monkey steps into the landmine they had planted. Jin Pyo yells for Yoon Sung. At the moment Yoon Sung is in the city. He acts all mischievious, and finds a Korean man in dangers. He fights the gang members to rescue the Korea man, saying that it's first time he has seen Korean. They run away from the gang together. He takes the stranger back to his opium camp. His father, Jin Pyo slaps him. He says that he could have been killed from stepping on a landmine. Also he shouldn't bring an outsider to the camp. Breaching security will be their death. Jin Pyo asks what the stranger can do. The stranger is scared to death and tells him that he can cook. He cooks them Korean food and they like it. 

The stranger shows Yoon Sung picture of his daughter. Her name is Kim Na Na (Park Min Young). Yoon Sung says that she is pretty. 

The next day, they are doing their training at the camp. Suddenly, the woman who has been taking care of Yoon Sung is take by the men. They tie her to the target. Her husband has stole heroin and left the camp. It's their code to kill the traitor and his family. Yoon Sung begs that he stops. Jin Pyo does not listen. Desperate to save her life, Yoon Sung suggests that if he can get all the targets with her tied in the middle, Jin Pyo should let her go. Jin Pyo agrees.

Yoon Sung starts shooting the target off. But he stops at the targets that are too close to the woman. She has been like a mother to him. He finishes up and throws away the gun. He leaves the training site. 

The gang that chased Yoon Sung in the town invades the camp. They start shooting at their house. Yoong Sung is well-trained and he instantly takes down all the men smoothly. During the battle, the woman he had just saved from execution steps up to save him and dies. Yoon Sung is furious and says that he will kill all the men that just came. He takes a shot gun and chases after the gang. He steps on the landmine. It's one of those kinds that blows when you take your foot off. He spots the gang and tries to shoot them with his foot planted on the ground. However, his gun jams.  The gang is relieved at the jamming noise and they take aim at Yoon Sung. Jin Pyo shoots down the gang and saves him. 

"The moment you lose your cool, you can even step on the landmine that you had planted in your yard."

Jin Pyo skillfully tries to disable the landmine, but Yoon Sung accidently takes his foot off. The bomb blows. Jin Pyo saves Yoon Sung. Yoon Sung takes him back to the house, Jin Pyo has lost his leg. He says the leg is nothing as long as he has saved Yoon Sung. He tells him to take out the bullet in his left shoulder and tells him to listen well.

"It's about your biological father."

Yoon Sung hears about this for the first time. He tells him about the mission 20 years ago. The bullet is what pierced through his father's heart and got into his shoulder. The reason that Jin Pyo is to avenge for his friend and 20 others. Yoon Sung realizes that he has been trained really hard for the avenge. 

Jin Pyo gets surgery and lives. He has lost his leg though. 

Jin Pyo tells him that the 5 men council has killed his father and that his mother is still alive. Yoon Sung accepts his fate and determines that he will change.

7 years later...

Yoon Sung is back in Korea. He gets a call from Jin Pyo. He tells him the first man he should go meet. He also tells him to forget about his life in America. Apparently, he has lived in America the last 7 years. Yoon Sung thinks at Jin Pyo words to not love anyone, because as soons as his cover blows. The people around him will bleed.

While Yoon Sung is thinking back at these words, Kim Na Na is handing out fliers behind him. The episode ends. 

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